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A review by artemishi
Destruction by Sharon Bayliss
5.0
Destruction was surprising. I expected, from the synopsis, something cheesy about how Christian faith overcomes to inherent eeeeevil of magic. But this was so, so much more developed, intense, and well thought-out than that.
Bayliss has applied a logic to her plot (mainly, to magic) that is flawless. Every time I thought "but, wait a minute!", one of the characters brought up the exact same point. Every time I started analyzing, Virgo-style, a breadcrumb, one of her characters did as well. That's not to say this book is predictable. Not at ALL.
I don't want to give too much away, as the plot is a tense roller coaster ride (filled with...well, destruction) but it's also a character exploration, and it centers on the question of what makes evil, and what makes good. Is it intention? action? unintended consequence? awareness?
I lovelovelovelovelove that Bayliss kept any trite "good witch/bad witch" ridiculousness out of this book. Truly, everyone is shades of moral gray. EVERYONE. And so even after someone does something horrible, it's hard to fully hate them because they're just fallible folks with good intentions/flawed rules/confusion/etc. She also writes conflict and reaction very realistically. Some of those conversations felt incredibly organic (like maybe the author has been through them, herself) and it added to the depth of the novel.
I have to say, Patrick is my favorite. I really related to him in a lot of ways. And I think I, too, am probably an Autumn Witch (September, maybe? Or October?). I thought we maybe got a breadcrumb at the end, during Rachel's ramble, but I'm not totally sure, now. Regardless, I had a difficult time putting this book down. And I really need her to write Book 2, so I can continue the adventure/drama.
I highly recommend this for fans of supernatural contemporary, strong character development, family dynamics, magic, the question of what defines good and what defines evil, and a compelling read that draws you in.
Be forewarned- the plot contains some violence, in action and word.
Bayliss has applied a logic to her plot (mainly, to magic) that is flawless. Every time I thought "but, wait a minute!", one of the characters brought up the exact same point. Every time I started analyzing, Virgo-style, a breadcrumb, one of her characters did as well. That's not to say this book is predictable. Not at ALL.
I don't want to give too much away, as the plot is a tense roller coaster ride (filled with...well, destruction) but it's also a character exploration, and it centers on the question of what makes evil, and what makes good. Is it intention? action? unintended consequence? awareness?
I lovelovelovelovelove that Bayliss kept any trite "good witch/bad witch" ridiculousness out of this book. Truly, everyone is shades of moral gray. EVERYONE. And so even after someone does something horrible, it's hard to fully hate them because they're just fallible folks with good intentions/flawed rules/confusion/etc. She also writes conflict and reaction very realistically. Some of those conversations felt incredibly organic (like maybe the author has been through them, herself) and it added to the depth of the novel.
I have to say, Patrick is my favorite. I really related to him in a lot of ways. And I think I, too, am probably an Autumn Witch (September, maybe? Or October?). I thought we maybe got a breadcrumb at the end, during Rachel's ramble, but I'm not totally sure, now. Regardless, I had a difficult time putting this book down. And I really need her to write Book 2, so I can continue the adventure/drama.
I highly recommend this for fans of supernatural contemporary, strong character development, family dynamics, magic, the question of what defines good and what defines evil, and a compelling read that draws you in.
Be forewarned- the plot contains some violence, in action and word.